His wife.
Jeremy drops his head in sadness.
My mouth falls open. Oh no.
Fuck.
Bart hangs up and then instantly dials another number. This is like watching a car crash happen. You know it’s really bad, but you can’t look away.
“Hello, Felicia, this is Bart,” he says. “I’d like two girls to my room. 624, please.”
He listens and then flashes a dirty smile. “No, I want the ones that were downstairs in the bar just now. Not the two I had last time I was here.”
I put my hand over my mouth. Dear god, this is worse than I ever imagined.
Jeremy’s jaw ticks as he watches the screen.
“Yes, make it quick, please. I’m horny as fuck.”
My eyes widen.
What?
This isn’t happening.
Not only is there proof that Bart is still sleeping with his wife, but he also regularly sees female prostitutes, too.
What the actual fuck?
Mind blown.
We all stare at the screen in silence, unsure what to say.
“And now I know why he would always cause a fight when we were in Bath,” Jeremy whispers sadly.
Oh, my heart.
I put my arm around Jeremy and pull him close.
Penelope lets out an audible gasp. “What a fucking cockhead.”
Bart walks into his room and closes the door behind him. Penelope goes to close the screen down.
“No,” Jeremy says. “I want to see this with my own eyes.”
She speeds it up and, and forty minutes later, the lift opens, and two gorgeous girls walk out. Penelope puts the footage into real time, and we sit in silence. The scantily clad girls knock on Bart’s door, and he opens it with only a white towel around his waist, ready and waiting.
“About time,” he says.
They walk past him into the room, and he slaps one of them on the behind as they pass him. He says something that we can’t understand, and the girls both laugh out loud. The door shuts behind them.
Wow.
Penelope closes the screen down, and we all sit in silence, shocked to our core.
“And now I know,” Jeremy whispers through his tears. He’s staring into space, visibly devastated.
I hate that my joy came at the cost of his heart. I get a lump in my throat as I watch him. I always knew Bart was a scuzbucket, but to see it like that is so raw and hurtful. He never deserved my beautiful friend’s love.
Not even for a day.
“I’m sorry, baby,” I whisper. “I’m so, so sorry.”
The car pulls up at the press conference in Winchester, and I practically jump from the car. I came straight here. I wanted to tell Seb the good news myself.
I walk into the packed hall at the university and stand at the back of the crowd.
Sebastian is on stage, standing at a small podium and delivering a speech.
“As you can see…” He glances up and sees me standing at the back. A frown crosses his brow, and I smile as I go up onto my toes with excitement.
He regains his focus and goes back to his speech. I tap my toes, waiting for him to finish.
Come on.
Hurry up.
I’m bursting at the seams to tell him the good news.
He didn’t do it.
He never went there, he never ……. the happiness beams out of me.
Eventually, he says the words I’ve been waiting to hear. “Thank you all for coming today. I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship. Education is key for our future.”
Everyone claps, and I smile proudly. With one last nod, he leaves the stage.
I stand on my tiptoes to look over the crowd. How do I get back there?
My phone rings:
Aprils Fool
“Hi,” I answer.
“Mrs. Garcia, what are you doing here?” His deep voice purrs.
“I have news.” I smile. “How do I get to you?”
“I’ll send someone out to collect you. Go to the side door.”
“Okay.” I hang up and practically run to the door to wait.
Moments later, the door opens, and one of his guards appear. “Hello, Mrs. Garcia.”
“Hi.”
“This way, please.” He stands back so that I can walk in, and then he closes and locks the door behind him. We walk down the corridor, and I see Sebastian waiting for me. I practically run to him and jump into his arms.
He frowns, surprised by my greeting.
“Where can we talk in private?”
“This way.” He opens a door, and we go inside. He turns to me. “What’s this mood swing?”
I smile broadly. “She lied.”
He frowns.
“Helena was never in your room that night.”
“How do you know?”
“Penelope hacked the security system from the hotel. I watched the footage this morning. The only person who went in your room all night was Gerhard.”
His face falls. “Gerhard?”
“They’re in this together, Sebastian. We have proof.”
“But there is no footage. Bart checked.”
“Bart lied.”
“What?”
“Bart didn’t even look for footage because he was trying to cover his own sleazy ass.”
Sebastian’s face falls as he stares at me. “There’s no baby?” he whispers.